Quality Laptop at a Knockoff Price

Author's Rating:

Pros: Inexpensive, lots of ports, VERY fast processor, amazing sound system

Cons: Low RAM unless upgraded, loud CD drive unless throttled down (software included)

The Bottom Line: 
Lots of features and performance for less money than a comparable desktop

Author's Review
When I saw this laptop, what first caught my eye was the price. Best Buy had it for $599 ($999 - rebates). I didn't even have to sign up for three months of AOL.

Anyway, I thought, "Well, you're only getting $599 worth of laptop." (I think of myself in third person.) Was I wrong! It's been an exceedingly fast, functional, and portable computer ever since. It's something I've come to expect from Toshiba laptops.

It's 2004, so your only major option is Windows XP. To date, I have never seen a computer equipped well-enough to run XP well, but this came pretty close, especially if you kill the unavoidable manufacturer software running in the background. Luckily, Toshiba managed to go easy on it. Note: The self-diagnostic tool, while very cool, only works properly if your default browser is Internet Explorer.

If you use lots of peripherals, such as printers, digital cameras, and MP3 players, you will absolutely love the Toshiba Satellite. There are USB ports everywhere, with a parallel and serial port thrown in for good measure. There are also optional TV outputs and Smart Digital drives.

If you like listening to your music on-the-go, you'll be in good shape with that, too. There is a built-in sound system that sounds more like a stereo than a computer. The bass is amazing.

Ahh... the display. The display is 15", 32-bit, and can handle up to 1024 x 768 resolution. A great display for games, pictures, etc. In case you need a little more screen, with one key, you can switch to an external display.

The processor is a 2.8 GHZ Celeron. It's not Pentium, but unless you're prepared to double the bill, you're not getting one. One thing I can recommend is the RAM upgrade. The base is 256 MB. If you start running a lot of applications, you are going to fill up that RAM long before you max out the processor. You can save a little by installing it yourself, but you risk killing your shiny new laptop. No matter how you do it, it is expandable to an amazing 2.0 GB RAM!

It comes bundled with some great software. Among others:
Microsoft® Works
Office OneNote™ 2003
Drag'n Drop CD DVD
ArcSoft ShowBiz® DVD 1.3
Toshiba Maximizer
Norton Antivirus™ 2003
Adobe® Acrobat Reader
Speech System
QuickTime™
RealOne™ Player 8 Basic
Internet Explorer
ConfigFree™
Toshiba Custom Utilities

There is an ethernet card, but I am stuck on the 56K dialup modem for the moment. *sniff*

Long ride? Not a problem with the Li-Ion battery. It can last up to four hours, depending on circumstances.

There is no floppy drive, but you can use a CD for the same purpose. See below. -v

There is a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive (8x DVD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 10X CD-RW, 24x CD-ROM) for when you can't make it to the movie theater, or you want to archive your entire MP3 collection in 30 seconds.

The 40 GB hard drive should more than hold your games, videos, and music.

There is a PCMCIA slot, just in case this doesn't cover anything.

It's aesthetically-pleasing as efficient. The bottom half (the keyboard side) is silver. The half with the monitor is a metallic dark blue. Very slick. A great buy.